Giraffe laptop spotted

Yes, we know we have been bemoaning that laptop design innovations are slow in coming, but this is entirely too much.

If you use notebooks for extended periods, you'll know how uncomfortable your neck can get craning over the display. DreamCom, a Chinese company, has conceptualized what could be a truly ergonomic portable. Besides a docking station, which raises the keyboard and saves your wrist, the LCD actually telescopes up to eye level and protects your neck.

The 15.4-inch laptop is also a performer, decked out with a 2.6GHz processor as well as HSDPA connectivity. The manufacturer Web site was down at the time of going launching this story, but you can look at some pretty pictures at CrunchGear.

SanDisk turns your SD card into notebook backup

It's ironic how people start thinking about data backup only when their PC crashes, together with all the important files on it. If you are one of those backup laggards, here's something that can significantly lessen the pain the next time your notebook starts acting up and, worse, heads for that great computer junkyard in the sky.

The SanDisk FlashBack Adapter, unveiled recently at the CeBIT tradeshow in Hannover, Germany, is an ExpressCard backup solution for notebooks that automatically stores and encrypts critical data from the computer's hard drive onto SD/SDHC cards (sold separately). This backup process is continuously running in the background while the laptop is in use, so there's no need for additional user intervention once the folders/files/file types have been specified.

In the event of computer failure, the SD card can be inserted into the card reader of any PC running Windows 2000, XP or Vista, and the encrypted data can then be extracted when the user logs into the software application.
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DIY laptop batteries... at your own risk

Some DIY projects are like extreme sports. It's done not because it will advance human knowledge or break any technological barriers. It's simply because it can. This particular project, however, is a little too close to real danger for us to recommend. So read this for academic knowledge only.

Though Lithium-ion cells have no memory effect, it does have a limited lifespan counted in charge cycles. In about a year of normal use, most cells would be lucky to hold half their orginal charge. Buying a new battery may not be economical, and though there are third-party services that can swap the tired cells with fresh ones, an budget-conscious (read: Cheap) forummer at notebookreviews decided to do it himself instead.

Frankly, the results he got weren't impressive at all, and the danger was obvious. However, it's still a nice prodject to do if you are really bored with life or decide it's time to do some insurance claims.

Via notebookreviews

Sony demos 5x boost in hard drive storage

Imagine a 2.5-inch notebook hard drive that can store up to 2.5TB of data. Well, according to Sony, this is actually possible with its new hybrid hard drive technology. Using a combination of magnetic and optical techologies (rather than the current magnetic data recording), the Japanese electronics giant claims the storage density can be significantly increased. (1TB = 1,000GB)

Sony estimates that 125GB of data can be stored on one square inch. This means the recently launched 500GB 2.5-inch hard drives can theoretically store as much as 2.5TB using Sony's new technology. Just think of the exponential space increase you'll be getting out of your 3.5-inch hard drives.

Unfortunately, Sony has not released any plans on when it will introduce the new technology commercially, so we are not expecting to see the new capacity-enhanced hard drives anytime soon.

ASUS showcases new laptops at CeBIT

If the annual CeBIT consumer show is a race, then ASUS has made an explosive start with a series of new product announcements.

For those seeking a portable that is light on the shoulders (but certainly not light on the wallet), there are the ASUS R50, R70 and Lamborghini VX3 to consider. The first two are UMPCS, with the R50 claiming to be the smallest and lightest 5.6-inch model seen so far. Despite its size, this device attempts to throw in everything but the kitchen sink under the chassis. From GPS and TV tuner to HSDPA and fingerprint sensor, this model comes with a solid-state drive which would surely drive the appeal and price up. Its larger brother, the 7-inch R70, is a little less ambitious but still a serious contender with GPS, HSDPA, Webcam and fingerprint sensor under the hood.
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